AC Milan coach Allegri hails Cassano after Siena rout

Cassano scored one and created two more in his best performance since returning from his minor heart operation.

"It was important to win today so we could stay close to Juventus. Now we have to hope they drop some points in these final three games, while we'd have to win them all," said the Coach on his 100th official match at the club.

"In any case, if we continue like this then we can finish the season without regrets. The only problem was that Cassano and Gennaro Gattuso suffered physical problems that could not be predicted by anyone.

"We paid a heavy price for all the injuries, as don't forget Mario Yepes and Mathieu Flamini were also out for months at a time. The shortage didn't allow me to rest some players who have now reached the end of the campaign totally exhausted.

"It's also a pity that with the timing of the Champions League we paid for the strains of facing Barcelona by dropping points to Fiorentina and Bologna. We gave away too many goals and a side like Milan cannot do that."